Scott's Past Arrives at Horizon Part IX
by cheesecake
Summary: MOre about Samia's past...another solo trip for the Cliffhangers!


Scott's Past Arrives at Horizon Part IX

Author's Note: I know very little about the Catholic religion and I doubt that Ireland is still this prejudice when it comes to religion. You'll just have to spare me some poetic license. Thanks.

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It's been two days since the "Arnie incident." Shelby and Scott haven't spoken, and it now appears that Scott and Samia are an item. 

Before breakfast…in the tool shed:

Scott pressed his lips to Samia's as she raked her long fingernails through his blonde spiky hair. They spoke in between kisses.

(Samia): "How long (kiss) have you…(kiss) been putting gel in…(kiss) your hair?"

Scott tried hard to smile and kiss at the same time. "Not (kiss) long."

Samia sensed Scott humor and started to giggle….she accidentally bit his lip. 

Scott jerked back and put his hand to his mouth. With a coy smile, he adds, "How long have you been biting your victims?"

Samia cocks her head and tries to look innocent. "So that's what you consider yourself….a victim?"

Without answering, Scott moves in for another kiss but is stopped by a knock at the door. A whisper comes from the other side. 

"Yo, meat? Ya in there?"

Scott sighs and pulls away from a now pouting Samia. "Yeah, muchacho….I'm in there." He opens the door for Auggie, who is looking around as if he were a spy on a secret mission. "Breakfast in five. Ya know the penalties if you get caught with her in here."

Samia can't help but be sarcastic. "Who's penalties…Peter's or Shelby's?"

Scott gives her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Come on, babe. Be nice. Try to relate." He takes her by the hand and they walk to breakfast together. In Samia's mind, she thinks, _How can I relate? I've never been dumped before…_

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Cliffhangers' Meeting:

" Define _solo_." Samia had been there several weeks (and on a couple quests), but the thought of being out in the woods by herself was not appealing in any way, shape, or form.

Peter explained further. "A while back, we tried to do solos with Auggie, Shelby, Juliette, Scott, and Daisy. They never got to finish them."

"Why?"

"Let's just say the weather was 'less than merciful'. Anyway, we've decided that today they'll finish they're solos, and you'll join them."

Juliette whispered in Samia's ear with little enthusiasm. "Doesn't this sound like fun?"

Samia responded with equal sarcasm, "Yeah, oodles of fun."

Peter directed his attention toward them. "Something you two want to add?"

Juliette was at a loss for words, but Samia answered tartly, "We were just saying how much we were looking forward to it."

Peter nodded, not missing a beat. "I thought so…Ok, everybody. Pack your gear and be ready to leave at noon."

As everyone filed out to leave, Scott motioned to Samia. She hung back long enough for Scott to whisper in her ear, "Don't worry. We'll find some way to have a good time."

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Noon:

Everyone's gear is strewn about the lodge as they try to pack before Peter gets there. Auggie and Ezra are arguing over whose thermos is whose. Samia is trying to remember whether or not she packed her body splash. _Just because I can't bathe for three days doesn't mean I have to smell like it. _

Scott is over in a corner by himself…he hates solos. _The last thing I need is time alone to think…to think about my step-mother…to think about my dad…to think about Shelby…_

When Peter finally arrives, the group is surprised that they weren't scolded for not being ready. Shelby leans over to Daisy. "Sophie must've put him in a good mood this morning."

Samia still didn't understand the purpose of this hike and she's already fed up. Samia looked huffily at Peter. "Tell me again why we're doing this?"

From across the room, Scott has to smile to himself. _It won't be so bad._

Peter closes his eyes for a moment, trying to keep his patience. "The purpose of a solo is to be alone with your thoughts, to assess yourself. To look back on your life and maybe find where you took that wrong turn that spun your life out of control…and to see where you can make changes to get your life back on track."

Shelby smirked, "That was _so_ deep, Peter. Say it again."

Peter chose to ignore her and the group finished packing. Soon they set off.

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The hike to their sites was a long one. Samia was enjoying the walk more than she let on. It reminded her of Tennessee, when she was a little girl. _Why do people have to grow up?_

"Not bad." Samia had just been led to her site. The ground was level and there was a small knoll just above it where she could be assured some privacy.

Peter pulled a piece of paper and a pen out of his pack. "Everyone, here's your solo assignment. You're to examine your lifestyles, your personalities, just things you do in general. Then you're to answer these questions honestly. Hopefully it will encourage you to change some of the more negative things. I won't read them if you don't want me to. Just like last time, I had your parents send something from your childhood. I think some parents may have sent the same things twice…a second chance."

Samia took the paper from Peter's hand and settled herself in. _This is going to be a long weekend. _

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Scott knew how to get to Samia's site, but he figured he give her some time before he made his way over there. _Maybe she needs this solo._ Scott reached into his bag and pulled out the memory his father had intended for him. Instead of a small football (like last time) it was a picture… a picture of him as a small boy. He was sitting on his dad's shoulders at the beach. The ocean was behind them and their hair was blowing in every direction. There are huge smiles on both of their faces…

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Samia reached into her bag. In it she found nothing of her own childhood….but her mother's. It was a large silver cross, ornamented with artificial jewels on a long silver chain…

The roar of thunder broke Samia's thoughts. She looked up at the now dark and ominous clouds above her. _Looks like rain._

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As the rain began to pour down, Scott hid away in his dry tent and looked at the picture…before the divorce…before Elayne…

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Peter and Sophie had just dropped off the last Cliffhanger when the rain started, heavy and strong. Peter groaned and slapped his forehead. "Not again!"

They moved quickly to their cabin and radioed the school for info on the rain. Roger assured them that it wasn't a dangerous storm and that the kids would be fine. Peter rubbed his face as he spoke into the CB, "Ok, the kids will stay. But if the weather gets any worse, we round them up and go home." 

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Samia retreated to her tent, trying desperately to keep dry. To pass the time while she waited for Scott, Samia pulled out the paper Peter had given her. There was a long list of questions with several blank lines to fill in her answers. She looked at the first question.

  1. If you could go back and change any choice you had made, what would it be and why?

Samia reflected. Her brow furrowed and she bit her lip, deep in thought. _What would I change?…hmmm…I would change…. _She groaned aloud. "I have no idea." Samia lay down on her sleeping bag and lay still for a long time, thinking. _I would never have lost my virginity…that's for sure. Then maybe I wouldn't have had such a bad rep… _ Her eyes grew heavy and soon she was asleep…

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Scott fumbled for a pen as he filled in the first blank on his sheet of questions. Deftly, he wrote: _I wouldn't have used drugs to forget my problems. Then maybe I would've never gotten into the trouble that I did…and I would've talked to my dad. _Scott set down his pen and paper and reached for the picture again. He laid on his sleeping bag while he remembered the trip they had taken. His dad had woken him up early so they could get to the beach before the crowd. It had been a cold and windy morning. They had left Scott's mom at home to sleep. This trip was just for the guys…

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Shelby had thought of nothing but Scott since she had arrived at the solo site. As soon as the rain let up, she planned to go to Scott's site and talk to him one on one. _I have to tell him he can have another chance…without her around… _

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Two things woke Samia up. The first was the nightmare she had been having…she had it almost every night. Mr. Forrest would be chasing her as she tried to get out of his office…but she never ran fast enough…

The second thing was the water that was now lapping at her face. She awoke to find herself lying in a deep puddle of water and mud. Samia sat straight up and looked around her flooded tent in disbelief. 

"Great!…JUST GREAT!" Samia snatched up her hiking pack and set out to find any of the other Cliffhangers. _Peter sure did pick an ideal site for me…a FLOODPLAIN! _

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Scott was deep in thought when he heard someone shouting from outside. He quickly unzipped his tent and looked out.

There was Samia, covered in mud and soaking wet. The rain had just lightened to a drizzle. Scott jumped out of his tent and ran over to her. He couldn't help but laugh at her appearance.

"What are you doin', Sam? Ya missed me so much you had to leave your site in the pouring rain to come find me?" Samia smirked. 

"For your information, my site was flooded and you just happen to be the first Cliffhanger I've found. Now let me in your tent so I can change."

Scott let her in the tent. He waited outside it while she changed, but continued to tease her through the nylon. "Nature looks good on you, Sam…Dirty, but good."

Samia unzipped the tent and let Scott in. Her hair was still wet and clung damply to her face in dark red tangles. Her face was smudged with mud, now drying. Scott couldn't help but smile at her.

Eyeing her bag, he asked, "So, what did your mom send with you?"

Samia became serious as she reached into her back and revealed the silver crucifix. "This is Mom's cross. Her parents were both Catholic…"

Scott was confused. "You never told me you were Catholic."

Samia laughed in spite of herself. "I'm not…well, I guess I am…it's a long story!"

Scott grinned curiously. "Enlighten me."

Samia lay back on Scott's sleeping bag and closed her eyes as she told the story of her mother.

"My mother's Irish. My grandparent…that is, _her _parents, were devout Irish Catholics. From what I hear, they were very wealthy. Her father was a prominent man in the community. Like most rich men do, he sent my mother to an all-girl Catholic school."

"So?"

"So, this Catholic girl's school was in the same vicinity as a Protestant boy's school."

"Oh."

"Well, needless to say, my devoutly Catholic mother, who just happened to be studying to become a nun, fell in love with my devoutly Protestant father."

Scott smiled at the romance of it all. "And they got married against your grandfather's will?"

Samia opened her eyes and looked up at the roof of the tent, where water was slowly starting to seep in.

"Not quite. They weren't married when my mother became pregnant with me. Grandfather didn't even know my dad, only that he was Protestant…and that my mother had broken the most sacred law of chastity to which nuns vow…Rather than disgrace the family with an illegitimate child conceived with Protestant blood, mother ran away to America…in search of a new life and all that nonsense." 

"So, did your mom ever see her parents again? I mean, did she tell them where she was, that she was ok?"

Samia sat up and shrugged. "I dunno. I never asked. It was a sensitive subject, you can only imagine."

Scott shook his head. "No, I know exactly what you mean. My dad and I had our fair share and more when it came to sensitive subjects."

Scott again reached for the ornate cross and examined it. "So, why did your mom send you this? How is it a part of your childhood?"

Samia gently took the cross from Scott's hand and held it as if it might break at any moment. Samia smiled sadly. She had a look in her eyes Scott had never seen before. "It was given to my mother when she was a little girl…Every night before she tucked me in, my mother would hold this cross to her chest and we would say the Lord's Prayer…then I would crawl into bed and she would pray for me while I fell asleep."

Scott gently placed his hand on hers. "What did she pray?"

Samia's lips quivered and Scott could feel her hands tremble as they cradled this holy symbol of Christ's love and mercy. A tear slowly slid down her and she cry softly. "She prayed that I wouldn't make the mistakes she made." 

TO BE CONTINUED…

Hope you liked it…For those of you who read my posts on the HG message board, I DON'T MIND YOU LEAVING COMMENTS ABOUT THE STORY. I don't want you to think I don't want to hear your opinion. I do. I just don't like being told how to write. I apologize if I made it sound otherwise.


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